Text message jokes. Topical, apposite, hilarious. We all get them, from friends and family and mates at work and distant acquaintances. And we all send them on to our own acquaintances, if we think it's a good one. It's just part of everyday life.

So, who is it who invents all these jokes in the first place? Where do they come from? Why does everybody seem to get them? And why are they sending them to you?

This little story was suggested by an experience at work, when nearly everyone seemed to get the same topical joke within minutes of one other. What possible reason was there, I wondered, which would make it possible for all these amusing messages to arrive at the same time?

By the way, the sound I use to open this story - bip-bip-bip, beeep-beeep, bip-bip-bip - is indeed old-fashioned Morse Code for "SMS". At one time, this was a very popular tone to announce the arrival of new messages.